


caecitas

by angelaxy



Category: Original Work
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Angst, Angst and Romance, Blood and Injury, Eye Trauma, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Torture, Suspense, Unspecified Setting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-26
Updated: 2020-10-26
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:00:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,473
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27203513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angelaxy/pseuds/angelaxy
Summary: Bruises and cuts were all over him, a result from beating and torture, but what they all feared was the bleeding eyes.“How is he?” Reira asked impatiently, finally able to stop pacing but her heartbeat hadn’t been steady since they found Theo. What ifblindnessmight happen to him?
Relationships: Theo/Reira
Collections: Ange's Whumptober 2020, Whumptober 2020, ` Temptation in the Dark `





	caecitas

**Author's Note:**

> another open-ending bcs I want to expand this hehe~  
> xoxo

Theo hadn’t come home for days.

It was suspicious enough — he usually would return home no matter how late it was, but this time he left without any prior warning, he just disappeared. But Reira knew, while Theo wasn’t someone who overshare his thoughts, her intuition told her there was something wrong. He didn’t just disappear.

If it was intentional, Theo would have at least told Vincent, but he didn’t.

_At all._

Accompanied with Vincent and Arthur, Reira walked along the city’s streets to find any clue about Theo’s whereabouts, certainly with the necessary help of Theo’s brother and closest friend. No result until this second, however. Not even a damn clue.

“Might be wise for you to wait at home, luv. The searching mission might turn dangerous.” Arthur glanced sideways at her, even his sly smile was not present. Replaced with a concerned frown.

“In case Theo might go home instead.” Vincent added from her other side with a slight smile, obviously as worried as her.

“No.” Reira shook her head determinedly. “I know he’s not home yet. I just _know_.” Because nothing about this was normal, and her intuition had been telling her it was not. For the last past days, she barely slept for days, waiting and searching, yet still no clue about where Theo was.

Arthur stopped all of a sudden, causing the other two to come to a halt as well. “I might have to visit an old friend for information. He’s aware of a lot of the current happenings in the city, good or bad.”

Reira and Vincent both nodded, and she winced at the very last word Arthur uttered. _Bad._ It might be _bad_. “As long as we can find Theo.” Preferably safe, and alive.

Hours later into the afternoon, Arthur’s information led them into an abandoned building on the outskirts of the city. They hurried to the destination together, dreading for the worst because the informant said the place was where bad things happened — beatings, torture, murders.

Vincent and Arthur broke open the wooden door until it fell off the hinges, Reira quickly ran inside before they could ever stop her. All the distressed thoughts in her mind ran rampant, heart beating loud as she ran with all her might through the darkened building. _Theo, please be alright!_

There, in a spacious space of some kind of foyer, Theo was restrained in a chair. His head hung low, blood was all over his clothes, some scars on his exposed chest. And he seemed to be trembling, barely holding on.

Reira gasped. 

Aghast, she froze in her spot only a few feet away from him. It took her a second or two to gather herself and hurry towards where Theo was. Only his labored breathing was heard. Reira bent down a little to examine him further. “No.. No…” _He’s alive, breathing, but.._ As she touched Theo’s hand, he flinched, growling in anger. Unfazed, her hand covered his reassuringly instead. “Theo.. It’s me.. We’re here to save you.”

Theo didn’t answer, growling again as if he didn’t want them to be there. He lifted his head slightly, that was when they all saw it.

“Your eyes…” Reira’s voice strained as she lifted a hand to tilt his chin upward. Her breath stopped for a second. But then, she glared — rage burning within her. “Who did this to you?! Tell me, Theo!” Oh, she was angry, _the deep, raw anger_ like a lightning struck her at once to see how Theo’s eyes were bleeding. His eyelids remained closed but they had an idea how bad it might be.

Yet, Theo still didn’t answer.

Arthur was already by her side and released the restraints as he spoke, “The informant mentioned a group of criminals. Now, I have not the slightest idea of why you’ve gotten entangled in this, Theo, but.. Time to go home.” He helped Theo to stand, draping Theo’s arm around his shoulder for support. 

Vincent did the same on his other side, no trace of smile in his angelic features. “Let’s go home, Theo.” Troubled, worried, even Vincent who was always the most calm one among them.

_‘No doctor.’_ was the only words Theo ever said to them before he went silent once again, enduring his pain with gritted teeth and clenched jaw.

Finally returned home, they put Theo in his bed and began to take care of him. The wounds, water, food, they did everything they could. All three of them. Reira paced in front of the bed, assisting Arthur and Vincent as they tended to the wounds under Arthur’s experienced instructions.

Bruises and cuts were all over him, a result from beating and torture, but what they all feared was the bleeding eyes.

“How is he?” Reira asked impatiently, finally able to stop pacing but her heartbeat hadn’t been steady since they found Theo.

Arthur finished bandaging Theo’s eyes after he tended to the smaller wounds in full concentration. “Quite unsure, we have to wait a bit longer. A few days, perhaps.”

The uncertain response was dreadful enough, she bit her lip in frustration and crossed her arms, trying to contain all the restless anger that threatened to explode any time.

“Leave him to rest for tonight.” Arthur added in an uncharacteristically serious tone, stepping away from the bed to clean up and glancing over to both Reira and Vincent.

The rest of them helped Theo to make himself comfortable in the bed and tucked him under the blanket. “I’m glad we found you, we’ve been worried for days.” Vincent spoke, smiling tenderly to his younger brother though his concern was still apparent enough. “Reira kept insisting you were in danger, apparently you truly were.”

“At least you’re back now.” Reira sighed softly as words flooded past her lips. After a last glance to Theo and his bandaged eyes she left the room with the other two, her own concern swelled inside her chest.

But, sleep or relief didn’t come easy to her.

Theo’s condition worried her to no end.

Some moments later when the night was darker and silent, Reira sneaked into Theo’s room, the door creaked open and she stepped farther, allowing herself inside. While she felt afraid to bother Theo if he was asleep, her eyes caught the sight of him sitting on the edge of the bed, hunched, his elbows rested on his knees in the darkened bedroom.

“Theo. Sorry to barge in, but I’m worried.. About you..” Reira whispered in a low voice to not startle him all of a sudden. 

“ _Leave_.” The words and his harsh tone sliced through the darkness.

Reira stepped closer and closer despite his harsh refusal, even if he pushed her away she would have stayed regardless. Standing in front of Theo who remained sitting, her slender arms carefully wrapped themselves around his shoulders. “You can’t make me leave.” Her voice was as fierce as her determination.

He remained still, silent, but he didn’t disentangle either. 

It was unlike him to be like this, Theo would throw harsh remarks and glares. He was never like this, to appear troubled and suffering. But it didn’t make her care any less, whatever condition he was in. “I don’t know why this happened, but I wish I could find them and hurt them back in much worse ways than what they did to you.” Reira said with her jaw set, a raging maelstrom brewed inside her.

Surprisingly, Theo let out a light scoff while pressing his ear against her chest to hear the sound of her heartbeat. A comforting sound for his troubled mind. “You can’t.”

“Why? Because I’m a girl, I won’t be able to hurt them?” Reira scowled.

“No.” Theo lifted up his face to her. Behind the bandaged eyes, he could almost imagine the _lovely_ scowl on her lips and he failed to hold back the crooked smirk. “You might get hurt, hondje. I don’t want that to happen. _Ever_.”

A small chuckle of exasperation escaped her inevitably, “They have to pay for hurting you like this, Theo.” Her voice was deadly soft as she murmured.

Wordlessly, he slipped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer for more of her soothing warmth. _Don’t stain your hands with blood for me._

Moments of silence passed, she closed her eyes while holding him against her, feeling his arms clinging tight around her. Reira smiled softly and buried her face in his hair, sneaking a kiss atop his head. “You’ll be alright, I’m here with you no matter what.” 

In this darkness, she would pray for Theo to be alright, so he would be able to use his eyes again, to appreciate art and do his art-dealer job like before.

He _should_ be, he _had_ to be.

One way or another, Reira would make them pay.


End file.
